China urges Japan to reflect on aggressive past

China on Thursday urged Japan to "sincerely reflect on its aggressive past" following international calls for Japan to acknowledge its wartime history.

As this year marks the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II, 187 Japanese studies academics, from the United States and other countries, co-authored a letter urging Japan to "address [its] history of colonial rule, and wartime aggression in both words and action."

"We hope Japan listens to the [...] international community and is sincere in reflecting on its aggressive past," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said at a regular news briefing.

Hua said Japan should deal with history and gain trust from the international community with real actions.

Reports on Japan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's plan to issue a statement to mark the 70th anniversary of the end of WWII this summer has roused the ire of its neighbors, including China and South Korea. Especially as the hawkish Japanese leader hinted that he would not repeat such key words used by his predecessors.

According to Japan's Kyodo News Agency, 50.5 percent of the 1,020 respondents said Abe should include Japan's "remorse and apology" for its past colonial rule and aggression in his landmark, which is slated to be given in August, as these statements were omitted from speeches he gave to the U.S. Congress and the Asian-African Summit in Indonesia. Endi